Roe’s Knotty Legal Legacy

There is little doubt that, of all the Supreme Court decisions of the last 100 years, Roe v. Wade—a decision handed down 41 years ago yesterday—has generated the longest, unresolved controversy. This is not to say that it was the most important decision over this time span. That pride of place probably belongs to Brown v. Board of Education. There is a critical difference, however, between the two cases…